Local boxing trainer
George James passed away on Friday, February 3, 2017. He was
two days shy of his 80th birthday. James
dedicated much of his life to the sport of boxing, and his
efforts impacted many young lives along the way. Through the
years, he worked with many prominent fighters and countless
unknowns. However despite logging sixty years in the
business, he remained a well-kept Philadelphia secret
outside the City of Brotherly Love. Within Philly however,
James was a well-respected figure and a constant on the
boxing scene. His primary job description was
that of a boxing trainer, but he resisted that limited
classification.

James
understood the difference and devoted his life doing exactly
that. I hadn’t met James until last year. We spoke on the
phone a few times after he was voted into the PA Boxing Hall
of Fame last year, and I visited him at his home as the 2016 induction
ceremony approached.

James was a great
talker, spinning one story after another. He gave a lengthy,
sprawling lists of the boxers he’d worked with – some of the
fighters
he developed, only to lose them to boxing sharks, and others
called on James to step in to salvage either a specific
fight or a sagging career in general.

Long before his days as
a teacher of boxing, George’s career began at the South
Philly Navy Yard when James competed as an amateur boxer
himself. He
was a natural fighter, but his fighting days were cut short
after a freak accident caused an injury that prevented him
from seriously competing ever again. The painful memory of
an incident that changed the course of his life had lost
much of its sting by 2016, and at 79, James was quick
to show off a reminder of the accident - a thick scar that wrapped around his torso.

James eventually
refocused his attention to working with boxers as a trainer
and teacher. Early on, James met legendary fight manager Joe Gramby,
who took a liking to him. Under Gramby’s tutelage, George learned every aspect of the game,
from wrapping hands, to fixing cuts, to teaching the finer
points of the sport. James became a jack of all trades in
the corner and worked non-stop.

He is probably best
known as the man who guided Bennie Briscoe at the very end,
after mostly everyone else wanted to see him to hang up his gloves.
Bennie insisted on fighting on, and George James was the
person he tapped to train him. James claimed that he knew
Bennie was near the end, but still signed on to do his best
to protect Bennie in the final chapter of his great career.
James worked Briscoe’s final seven bouts (1980-82).

Never
shy of voicing his many opinions and his beliefs on the
correct way of doing things, James gained a well-earned
reputation as a “screamer” in the gym. He never hesitated to
raise the volume on a stubborn or slow-learning fighter.
Even those who knew and respected James for decades would
often describe his infamous shouting with a head shake and a
sigh. Despite having an intense, laser-focused eye contact when speaking
with you outside the gym, you’d never guess he was such a screamer
inside it.

James also worked with
fine fighters like Richie Kates, Percy Manning, Tony Tassone,
Calvin Porter, Kevin Howard, Young Joe Walcott, and Willie
Monroe. He was buddies with Gypsy Joe Harris and spent many
hours with him in the gym. James also worked as an exercise
coach for heavyweight champion Sonny Liston.

After a lifetime in
boxing, James was finally inducted into the PA Boxing Hall
of Fame on May 15, 2016, less than nine months before his
death. James had been overlooked by the Hall for far too long,
but thankfully, we caught up with him in time. James was
present for his induction and enjoyed the day with his
family and many fans.

James was one of the
last of the old-school Philly trainers. His departure
reminds us of those great days of the sport when men like
George James schooled boxers in a way that is pretty mush
lost these days. Some fading remnants of that old style
still remain, but for the most part, the glory days are
slipping away. James is gone now, but his memory, his
legend, and everything he stood for will be with us forever.